Democratic leaders stand up for Dean

[cal04]

A round of criticism from fellow Democrats and major donors about Howard Dean's four-month tenure as Democratic National Committee chairman has prompted Senate leaders to rise to his defense at a public event planned for today.

Originally scheduled as a private meeting between Dean and the leadership team of Senate minority leader Harry Reid of Nevada, today's session instead will now include a news conference and photo opportunity as a public embrace of Dean, who has rocked the political world over the past week with provocative condemnations of the Republican party. On recent occasions, Dean has said many Republicans ''never made an honest living in their lives," described the Republican Party as ''pretty much a white, Christian party," and declared that House majority leader Tom DeLay of Texas, who is facing ethics questions but has not been charged with any crime, ought to go back to Houston where he can serve his jail sentence.

''I do not agree with those comments," said Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the House Democratic whip. ''A party chairman's job is to organize the party, to support policy-makers."

Despite criticism of his remarks since the weekend from Hoyer and other congressional Democrats, Dean yesterday refused to back down, asserting in an interview on NBC's ''Today Show" that Republicans are ''outside the mainstream." In an interview last month with the Globe, the former presidential candidate said Republican policy makers had ''gone off the deep end," and called the party's stance on gay marriage and other cultural issues ''despicable."

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/06/09/democratic_leaders_stand_up_for_dean/

[acmejack]

1. Righteous!

It is time some of the people who consider themselves leaders actually engage in some of it.

[joanski0]

2. Why is it that I never heard any

Dem leaders critize Terry McAuliffe? Was it because Terry was one of them?

[Demit]

3. Yup. The Dems who are upset are the business-as-usual crowd.

Dean is raising money from, and appealing to, the grassroots. Can't have that! Much cozier to get your money from "major donors", so that they are the only ones you have to appease.

And look at the chart that accompanies that article! It decides to compare money raised by Dean to the money raised by the RNC--neatly sidestepping the fact that Dean has raised more money than McAuliffe in the time period covered. The Rethugs have ALWAYS raised more money than the Dems! That isn't new. What is new is that Dean is doing a better job at it than inside-the-beltway predecessor McAuliffe, and not in the usual way. Those Dem "leaders" are pissed. They might have to actually develop a party philosophy for all Democrats now, instead of just scratching the backs of a few "major donors".

[bemildred]

4. Get on board or get lost, Dean is the man. nt